The GEP is a Department for International Trade (DIT) programme that seeks to enable technology entrepreneurs from all over the world to globalise their business from a UK strategic hub. It does this by harnessing the insight, networks and experience of its team of internationally successful entrepreneurs, known as Dealmakers, to help identify and accelerate the world's best early-stage technology businesses. 

Now watch this exciting "goose bumps" inducing video:

What do you think?

Over the last 20 years or so, I’ve written more business plans that it’s fair to throw at a convicted criminal (ok, maybe bankers put aside). Do you know how many got read cover to cover? Spot on, absolutely ZERO! Now you may say that’s because I can’t do them, and you could be right.

However, I’ve done them in start-ups, early-trading companies and working for large corporations such as Amex, Cadbury-Schweppes and Cable & Wireless. And a fair share of the proposals actually got funded – but … it wasn’t down to the business plan.

The fact is that for some dumb reason investors, VC’s, bankers, and corporations get a lot of comfort out of seeing business plans – glossy, 80-page, pie-chart-filled carbon-wasting pap.

Why? Because they can touch and feel it and believe that unless you’re prepared to go to such lengths you can’t be committed to your proposition.

So, here’s what you do if you’ve got a great business idea that you want to take to market.

Firstly, don’t start with the business plan – only do it when you’ve figured out:

• Do I have a clear customer proposition?
• Do I know exactly who represents my first core market segment?
• Is my proposition compelling?
• Do I have a winning Business Model? 

Some see business plans as roadblocks on the runway to commercial success. If you’re the dude having to do it, then it’s a pain in the gluteus maximus.

So please, do yourself a favour and do the essential stuff first. Because if the customer proposition’s not great and you’re not clear on your first market ‘beach head’ then even a brilliant business plan crafted by Ernest Hemingway isn’t going to save you.

This Bloomberg video highlights his exploits, the ups and downs of being a true Innovation Pioneer. One risky venture is quite enough for most people, however the Financial Crash in 2010 nearly blew all his dreams. Watch how his strength of character battles through against the odds.

I love it!

In fact, this is a comment from Steve Wood that captures my thoughts exactly:

How the fuck could you ever in a million years dislike this video. This man literally has the biggest balls in the world. The business risks he took after selling paypal are unfathomable. Even most billionaires experience success as a happy accident through a great product (facebook, oracle, google) or by producing the most effective product in a known market that is projected to be successful (microsoft taking the GUI from apple who took it from xerox) or just boring ass retail/services (general retail, luxury markets, oil&gas, telecom, casinos, healthcare, etc). 99.9% of men would have floundered on their $22m at the age of 28… not Elon. The man isn’t in it for the money, he wants what is best for the future and shame on all these profit focused douchenozzles who say otherwise …

But guess what – by 1500 he was so hard up he had to go and earn some pin money painting portraits of the Gioconda family – and in the process gave the world the Mona Lisa.

So, what’s the point? We all know that Leonardo was a genius and he’ll still be revered when you and I are probably pushing up daisies. But he wasn’t an entrepreneur. The inventions he came up with did not meet the needs of paying customers at the right price – let alone the capability of building the products in the first place.

Now maybe Leonardo didn’t mind too much being broke. But fact is that if you want to turn your ideas into commercial reality you need to make sure that you:

• Have a clear customer proposition
• Know exactly who represents your first core market segment?
• Can answer the question ‘Is my proposition compelling?’